The Good, the Gag, and the Ugly: Queue Points Reflects on 2024

And that is exciting and scary at the same time, considering what we've been through over the past year.

So I am excited to experience 2025 because, you know, it's a new year, you know, not even new year, new me, just new year, right? Same me, new year. Um, And I'm looking forward to it. Uh, but I, I'm, I'm also just like, okay, girl, let's see what you give.

So what we are going to do is we're going to be very demure and we're just going to have a mindful and very mindful of of the things that we That we have come across in 2024, and we're gonna do it the Queue Points way You know, people like to come up with a top 10 list. Restream recording Dec 23, 2024 • 12:16:36 AM: Mm-hmm . DJ Sir Daniel: We are not going to do that. What Queue Points is going to do? We are going to list the good, the gag, and the ugly of 2024.

And before we get into all of that, Jay Ray. If 2024 had a theme song, what would it be? And it doesn't have to be a song that came from 2024. It could just be a song that just pretty much sums up what this year was giving.

Um, and I feel like I also contributed a great deal. I made friends, you know, I got like friends and some came to our, uh, our end of the year kickback that we had. And, um, I am very proud, um, of, of that experience. And that is one good that I would like to highlight. What about you, man?

I'm not guessing you. This is truly how I feel. You know, I say it all the time. That is truly your gift of foresight. And just organization, which a lot of us scatterbrains really depend on people like Jay Ray, Restream recording Dec 23, 2024 • 12:16:36 AM: you know, to, to make things happen. So, yes, I totally agree with you on that aspect. And yes, you rocked 20, 24, um, 20, 24 was, uh, I'm proud of myself also for 2024, um, because, um, my boat got rocked in 2024.

You know, I had a big life change that a lot of people experienced this year. You know, I, I lost my job. I lost my, my main source of income. And as a creative, Um, trying to, you know, keep the lights on and, but also do your thing forces you to become creative and it forces you to really, you know, put your, rely on your faith and really see what you're made out of. And in the midst of all of that, I've had some really great opportunities.

Like I was able to, I was invited by a lot of, by quite a few of my peers to appear, um, on various, uh, various DJ gigs, which, you know, I, I did without any fear of trepidation, um, that's something that I put way behind me. I, I literally don't have time for that. Um, the nerves. allow me to, to, to, to put more preparation into what I'm doing and to really, um, create a vision that I want to for, that I want to see happen.

And so it's allowed me to really expand and flex my muscle and just to really step in and present myself as, you know, The best at what I do or what I, you know, and doing, and that's not just as a DJ, but as a podcast host, we've had several opportunities, opportunities, shout out to the folks at Afros and audio, who, um, took us from a small classroom to the main floor presentation this, um, in 2024.

So I'm very happy for the personal growth that I've experienced along as professionally alongside UJ race. So 2024, you know, you try, you try, you try, you tried a little, you try a little bob and weave with me, but you know, I bobbed and weaved back. I stood up and I took my licks, but it's like, I'm still going. Yes. You cannot, what's that mean? You cannot fool me. You cannot trick me 2024. So no, but yes. So that was my good.

And uh, I, I just foresee more good and gooder for Queue Points for the Queue Points crew. In 2024.

Um, you all out there, I'm pretty certain are familiar with who Shemarco is and, or, or as he's known as big Marco clock that T you know, who Shemarco is. I. So Marco is a bonafide rockstar and I'm putting rockstar up in quotes right now, but he is a bonafide rockstar who went from being, uh, ridiculed and made fun of online because of his, it's clear, it's very clear that he has some, um, is definitely a birth defect. He is a form of scoliosis and, you know, he's shaped funny.

Um, he's, You know, he definitely has a lot of, um, dental challenges with the crowded teeth and, you know, everybody's concerned about his, where he lands on spectrum and his mental health.

And he has gone from fighting a lot in the streets, fighting, um, with various people, being ridiculed, people running up on him and recording him to make fun of him to becoming A well paid Um, performer, someone that actually has a song that is playing in certain types of clubs, but he, but now because of his heightened visibility, um, because of social media, he is able to command appearance fees and performance fees. He's traveling. Um, they're rolling out the red carpet for him.

Now, here's the thing, Jay Ray, I don't know. I don't know if it's good or bad. I know it's good in the sense that He's not begging, or he's not, um, he's not begging for money online like he used to. It was like every other morning he was begging people to cash app him to pay for a new phone. It looks like he's able to sustain himself. That's good. Um, food, clothing, and shelter wise.

I am concerned of how long this bubble will stay inflated because as we all know, when they're, when they're vulnerable people, they get, you know, they get these kinds of opportunities and are, you know, and become famous overnight. There's always people on the sideline. Waiting to with their hand out to get something to use their name to get their own money or Just waiting for him to fail.

Yes, and because and I just I you know Like the rest of y'all, I get my laugh and I kiki about stuff too, but at the same time as a human being, I'd be like, damn, is he, you know, I would hate for him to go back to what he was going through. And I just don't know. And it ain't none of my business really, but I just don't know if he has that kind of support to keep him, uh, a float or to keep the momentum of his, Yes, you know, as this is a career

Um, The like a week later or whatever well at the end of the cohort, you know, they were asking people like, okay Well, what did you get the most out of blah blah blah blah blah and people were going down the line Here's what I got the most and one of the people and I was so grateful But also gags was like actually the one thing that I really got a lot out of was Johnny's presentation or SEO and I grew by like 200 percent and I was like

And none of that had to happen, but she said it and I was just like, oh my god, thank you

I do things that people are like, wow, that's a thing. And that's so for everybody listening, lean into your magic, whatever that magic is, that you might have a lot of magics, maybe sprinkle that thing. What Robbie has been saying, Robbie said, shine your light so bright that it inspires other people to shine theirs too. Two, because guess what? It's a whole lot of folks out here that aren't able to do that. So if you are baby go big. When Leo

Uh, somebody is going to recognize it and it will make a way for you, whether that's getting you a couple of dollars until a payday or starting a brand new career. So I received everything you just said, J. Ray, um, and.

And it's funny, the, the talents that we're talking about, yes, I love working with vinyl and I love, um, DJing period is, you know, I really do feel happiest when I'm doing it and that's why I, um, you know, when the people that I look up to in the art, um, a lot of those people actually passed away in 2024. And so. There was some deaths that really, that really shook me, you know, this year.

I mean, they always shake you, especially when it's people that you grow up, grew up admiring, but it really shook me like this. I would say the, the passing of Mr. C then, um, fat man, scoop DJ polo. And then Clark Kent. Yeah, all within the same year, I was like, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Hold on. 2024 Hold on life. What is really happening here?

And each and every single time that I would hear, we would hear You hear about the people that have been influenced by them and the things that people were able to glean from their careers or that they took from them in some form of mentorship. It just made me. more appreciative of the, the more immediate people that are in my circle. Cause I, I know who those gentlemen are.

I didn't necessarily, I was not close enough to reach out and touch them, but there's plenty of people in my circle who, um, who mean a lot to me and are very instrumental in there. They know, they probably don't even know it, but are very influential on me as, as a DJ. And so. So that made me those deaths made me appreciate those people more, especially when I get to reach out and talk to them and see them at events.

Like I got to see a whole bunch of people at, um, at this most recent crafts and crates where we had a surprise, a guest performance by Nicolay, which was really awesome. Shout

Um, Because it's also happening what seems like more frequently. Um, and so I saw, uh, I actually went early on purpose. I was like, Oh, maybe I'll get in here early and I won't see a lot of people, right? Um, cause I knew I wasn't equipped, uh, to do the funeral. And I actually happened to see, um, another brother that I went to high school with. And he was like, man, I guess this is. Our season where this is now, you know, our parents would go through that, right?

Mm-hmm . Mm-hmm . This is our season of like, going through that. So that definitely rocked me, um, at the end of this year. Um, yeah, and, and to the, and, and in addition, I would say another thing that just kind of rocked me this year was the, um, watching the world be so polarizing. Like it's either this or it's that. Um, and with no nuance, with no, what seemed like no critical thought, it was just like hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, or love, love, love, love, love.

And just like the casting away of folks. Um, has really, like, really rocked me this year, too. Um, and has forced me to be, you know, to just lean on my empathy. You say something, um, that was kind of your model, I think, for 2023. And it's, um, you know, that idea of giving people grace, grace and space. Um, really just being reminded of that, like give people grace and space because, um, it's hard out here in these streets.

So between, yes, between, uh, that death that happened super recently, but also just watching the world be on fire. It's been like, so what I am looking forward to though. And I think I said this in our kickback is, um, I'm dying to see the art that comes out. I want to see what we do. I want to see what other folks do when folks feel pushed it, uh, like their backs are against the wall and they got to fight their way out like a, like a cat, you know, some beautiful stuff can come out of that.

And I'm looking forward to that beautiful stuff because guess what? We're going to need beautiful stuff.

We are in a sense grieving and I I you know, that's Some people look at that as as ugly and It can get ugly, but I think to me, what was really ugly about 2024 is this insidious, this insidious, um, feeling among, and I don't want to, I don't want to pinpoint and, and just rag on young people, but it, because it's not just young people.

There are a lot of Older folks who are facilitating and enabling them with this feeling of that there is no value on anything that happened before they were born. And there is no value regarding any art that was created before they were born. There is no, you know, I've mentioned it before and I don't even know who this young man is, but he referred to samples and Old school music, quote unquote as UNC shit. Restream recording Dec 23, 2024 • 12:16:36 AM: Mm-hmm

. DJ Sir Daniel: First of all, that boy was as white as the palm of my hand. And I was like, first of all, why do you feel emboldened to speak on such things to be able to speak? I have, I had

Full carte blanche to talk about black people and black women and, and just go beyond and say, and even, and even if, um, infer that they're, they're okay to use, they have a past to use the N word. Restream recording Dec 23, 2024 • 12:16:36 AM: And

There's a, there's a whole bunch of y'all that I don't know if you all are on perks, you rolling on something, or you too drunk to realize that you are, you are yet again, enabling and abetting and the giving away and the throwing away of this culture of the things that we created in this world across the diaspora. And so that, to me, that.

Has become like really prevalent and it's something it's like a really ugly pimple that has just come out about of nowhere of people wanting to just Lack of a better term shit on the things that a lot of people paid with their blood To create that you have benefited from you continue to make money off of yep And so that's my ugly and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of

But here's the other thing that I know about that. He, to your point, he's had people in his circle that have enabled him to say stuff like that. And I have problems with y'all. My beef is with y'all. He's only saying the foolishness that he's saying, because y'all let him say that. This is your culture, your legacy, your history, and we are a people who our ancestors and the people who the shoulders we stand on matter as much as what we create today.

And if you don't get that, you've missed very, very, very, very valuable lessons, and you got to go back and learn them. That's all I got. He stopped going over there. Stop giving him your art because he's able to make money off of your back. He doesn't even respect your history, the history of your ancestors, the history that he's, that you're continuing to move forward with and make money from. He don't respect none of that. Stop going over there. I'm looking at y'all.

I don't care nothing about him. It's y'all that keep going over there to that man and giving him your brilliance. Stop it. I'm so sorry. I, I, we hadn't talked about him. I don't like that.

Taking taking you way back. We're up to almost we're getting into we're getting close to 200 now, sir. Daniel Wow, isn't that something so in in 2025, we will be into the 200th show So going over to the website check it out. Check out the old shows. You can also support us by visiting our website I'm sorry by visiting visiting our store at store. Queue Points. com where you can get some fresh gear and all types of other things. And, you know, check out our blog, magazine. Queue Points.

com as well, where we have a lot of amazing content. We appreciate y'all. We love y'all.

Indeed.